A blog dealing with either the joy of cinema or the agony of cinema--nothing in between.

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Square

The Square is an Australian neo-noir film from the Edgerton brothers (Nash directing, Joel writing) who seem to be directly influenced by another pair of filmmaking brothers who have also dabbled in this genre. We meet Raymond, a married construction foreman who is currently seeing and planning to run away with a significantly younger woman. Actually the only thing stopping them has been money, and when she brings him a bag full of cash from her gangster husband it seems that their problems will soon be over. Instead, this even signifies their descent into a nightmare where neither of them will be able to escape. The Square (which refers to a significant spot on Raymond's development he is currently working on) is a little rough around the edges and it is not filmed in a high quality style. Its strengths lie in its plotting and use of scenarios that help develop the noirish elements of the plot. Film Noir can be the most exciting of films, and The Square proves to be an exciting and challenging film.
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